Chapter 47

"Hello, Professor," Harry said lightly. Dumbledore frowned slightly. "Did you think I'd be surprised? Ever since I got out from under your thumb you've been doing everything you can to make me your little weapon again. I hate to tell you this," he finished sarcastically, "but I will not attack Voldemort; I will not hate Slytherins; I will not be your Golden Boy."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm well aware of that, my dear boy. I have another child who will work for the prophecy."

"The fake prophecy?" Harry sneered.

"Fake or not, the people need something to believe in," Dumbledore responded. "Since you refuse to see reason, I'm afraid they will stop believing in you ⎯ because you'll be dead."

"I would like to see you try," Harry laughed. He gathered his magic and called his followers.

One by one, the Black Knights appeared on the hilltop. Tom was instantly by his side, making Harry chuckle, while the rest gathered by rank; his rooks, knights, and bishops directly behind him, then the higher pawns, followed by the lower. Twenty-seven people stood facing the bearded old man (well, twenty-six and a cackling poltergeist).

"You see, Dumbledore," Harry said lazily, "I have an army. Do you think you can take on all of us at once?"

Dumbledore chuckled, and Harry was immediately worried. "Oh, I won't pretend to be that powerful, my boy. However..." he raised a hand, and more figures appeared over the hillside, some wearing masks, some not. Harry recognized Mrs. Weasley, Ginevra, Granger, and Ronald among the unmasked figures.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Your Order has grown since Voldemort attacked me as a child." He ignored the flinches and hisses from the enemy army. "Do you think your army can stand against mine?"

"I have the numbers," Dumbledore answered. It did look like he had more than a hundred people with him....

"Do you have the talent?" Harry asked coldly. "The people standing behind me have been training in both Light and Dark magic, and are extremely formidable. Oh-" he called one last follower, and a huge black snake appeared behind them. "And I have a basilisk."

Several of the enemy shrieked and covered their faces.

Master's mate, was is going on? Tenebris hissed, glaring at Dumbledore. He must have had one of his eyelids down, because the old man didn't die.

"We are fighting, Tenebris," Harry answered.

Tenebris bared his fangs in a deadly grin. Finally.

"We have ways to counter a basilisk," Dumbledore said calmly. With a flash of fire, Fawkes appeared on the old man's shoulder.

Harry sighed irritably. "I was hoping not to do this, but..." He pulled out a communicating mirror. "Voldemort."

More flinches and gasps from the enemy army.

Marvolo appeared in the mirror, looking irritated. "What, brat? I'm busy," he grumbled.

"Too busy to fight against the old man?" Harry asked dryly.

"Why didn't you say so?" Marvolo exclaimed, grinning. "Where are you?"

Harry scanned the Triwizard Cup's magic and gave Marvolo the coordinates.

"Will we need the Death Eaters?"

"Definitely," Harry answered in Parseltongue, glancing at Dumbledore's army with a sneer. While it was true that he had faith in his followers' power, he also didn't know the extent of the enemy's power. Better to be a careful Slytherin than a cocky Gryffindor.

There was a crack of Apparition, and Voldemort appeared beside Harry. Dumbledore's eyes widened at Marvolo's body ⎯ which didn't look like a bald, snake-faced humanoid, the body he'd had before he'd attacked the Potters.

"Shere Khan, we need your Dark Mark," Harry said lazily. Regulus stepped forward and rolled up his left sleeve.

"Why is one of your followers a Death Eater?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"He is no longer a Death Eater," Voldemort said coldly as he pressed his wand to Regulus' Mark. "But he keeps his Mark so I can access my followers in an emergency."

There was a pause, and a hundred Death Eaters Apparated onto the hill behind the Black Knights. Regulus pulled his sleeve back down and stood between Remus and Draco again.

"My Lord, what-" came Lucius' Malfoy's voice, but he stopped with a yelp when he saw Dumbledore and the Order.

"Are you ready to fight for your master?" Voldemort asked smoothly.

"Always, Master!" Bellatrix Lestrange cackled.

"These are my allies, Harry Potter," Voldemort added dismissively, "and the second-in-command of the Black Knights, Queen Amber."

"Ah, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, but Harry could sense his distress. "You look more human than you really are."

Marvolo snorted. "You look less crazy than you actually are."

"Are we going to attack or just stand here exchanging pleasantries?" Harry growled.

"I was hoping to do this the peaceful way," Dumbledore sighed. "But I suppose..." he pulled out his wand. "Attack!" (The Hallows don't exist in this fan fiction.)

At once the Dark Forces rushed forward but the Light were overconfident. Harry and Marvolo hovered on the edge of the battle, watching their armies' progress and meaning to help those who were overpowered but they didn't need to.

Tom had taken over Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, both highly skilled Aurors; but even as Harry watched, Tonks fell to the ground with her wrists bleeding: Sectumsempra. Smirking, Harry turned to watch Draco floor Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle. Remus and Sirius were in combat with Mad-Eye Moody. Barty Crouch Jr. was dueling his father. Regulus and Severus had taken to Cruciating Aberforth Dumbledore.

Then Marvolo nudged Harry and nodded towards the centre of it all, where the Demon Twins were fighting and beating Molly, Ronald, and Granger. Dumbledore had been buffeted by the oncoming crowd. Harry smirked in assent. They both cursed their way towards the old man. Dumbledore didn't see them coming; he was busy shooting curses at Severus, who was dodging them easily.

Marvolo raised his wand and shot a nonverbal Body-Bind Curse at the old man. It was so strong that he couldn't even breathe; he was turning purple. Marvolo released him and instead bound him in invisible ropes; he wouldn't die that easy.  

Harry cast the Cruciatus Curse at Dumbledore and watched as the old man and writhed and screamed in pain, just like his brother.

Molly rushed forwards but Marvolo repelled her by a lazy flick of his head, where she fell at Lucius's feet, who started dueling her instantly: Molly was overpowered in five minutes. Harry stopped torturing Dumbledore. The old man kneeled at his feet, panting.

Harry, Tom, and Marvolo stood above a panting, snarling Dumbledore. Most of his forces had fled, while the rest were on the ground, unmoving. Mrs. Weasley lay dead beside an unconscious Ronald. Tenebris was enjoying his meal of phoenix. (No hate on Fawkes, he's cool.) Ginevra and Granger were being held prisoner by the twins. (Harry could hear them cackling from here.)

"You've lost, old man," Voldemort purred.

"Good will always win," Dumbledore snapped.

"Except you are not good," Harry growled. He glanced at Marvolo and Tom. "Killing spells on the count of three?"

"A fitting way to end this," Marvolo agreed. The three of them raised their wands.

With the spell that started this whole mess....

"Avada Kedavra!"

Three jets of green light hit Albus Dumbledore in the chest.

The Dark had won.